why this? why now?
This may be confusing, to see a section of my website dedicated to the land I am caretaking with my husband Nazbah Tom. But I was recently inspired by David Suzuki's sign-off episode of The Nature of Things, where each time someone approached him to shake his hand, he would say, "what do you know about climate change?" I was moved by the way he leveraged his celebrity to discuss what mattered most: our survival.
I have created this section of my website to show you what we have been doing on the land we are taking care of around our home. Not that I am in any way as famous as David Suzuki, but if you happen to love my books, my hope is that I will inspire you to investigate ways in which you can care for the land around you as well.
I am writing this on July 1st 2023, when I as a settler have a lot to think about around theft and genocide. I am indoors because of the smog from wildfires. Thankfully, I have N95 masks because of the pandemic, allowing me to do short visits into the smoky outdoors for my homesteading chores. It does not escape me that the wildfires and the pandemic are linked to climate change and that climate change is connected to colonization. For thousands of years Indigenous communities around the world have held knowledge around things such as biodiversity, carbon capture, forest fire management and water harvesting. And for hundreds of years since colonization, settlers have systematically attempted to destroy this knowledge in the interest of imperialist pursuits. It is one thing to acknowledge the stolen land we reside on and one thing to commit to caring for it the best way we can given the resources we have.
This destruction has led many of us, including myself, to disconnect with the land, believing we are managing it, controlling it. As a settler, as an observer of the Dish with One Spoon treaty, this section of my website will focus on the ways we are learning to be more self sufficient while caring for the land around us. This will include the myriad of ways we have failed, and our hopes for the future. We are only 1.5 years in after all and have a LONG way to go before we can be self sufficient! But as my husband and I say often to each other, "we are still learning. Next time we will do better."
Here is an illustrative map of what we have done so far. Below are in-depth glances at each section. Each of my watercolour illustrations feature wildlife we commonly see in each area.
I have created this section of my website to show you what we have been doing on the land we are taking care of around our home. Not that I am in any way as famous as David Suzuki, but if you happen to love my books, my hope is that I will inspire you to investigate ways in which you can care for the land around you as well.
I am writing this on July 1st 2023, when I as a settler have a lot to think about around theft and genocide. I am indoors because of the smog from wildfires. Thankfully, I have N95 masks because of the pandemic, allowing me to do short visits into the smoky outdoors for my homesteading chores. It does not escape me that the wildfires and the pandemic are linked to climate change and that climate change is connected to colonization. For thousands of years Indigenous communities around the world have held knowledge around things such as biodiversity, carbon capture, forest fire management and water harvesting. And for hundreds of years since colonization, settlers have systematically attempted to destroy this knowledge in the interest of imperialist pursuits. It is one thing to acknowledge the stolen land we reside on and one thing to commit to caring for it the best way we can given the resources we have.
This destruction has led many of us, including myself, to disconnect with the land, believing we are managing it, controlling it. As a settler, as an observer of the Dish with One Spoon treaty, this section of my website will focus on the ways we are learning to be more self sufficient while caring for the land around us. This will include the myriad of ways we have failed, and our hopes for the future. We are only 1.5 years in after all and have a LONG way to go before we can be self sufficient! But as my husband and I say often to each other, "we are still learning. Next time we will do better."
Here is an illustrative map of what we have done so far. Below are in-depth glances at each section. Each of my watercolour illustrations feature wildlife we commonly see in each area.
where we are
We live in Napanee, the traditional land of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, located 2.5 hours east of Toronto.
Our challenges include:
Our advantages include:
Our challenges include:
- Shallow clay soil that ranges from 5-10 inches before you hit bedrock
- Flood plain area during the spring due to proximity to Napanee river, which then experiences drought from July-Sept
- High winds
- Dense, overcrowded forest
- high population of rabbits, slugs, chipmunks, squirrels, coyotes
Our advantages include:
- 3.7 acres of beautiful land to care for
- Milder weather, even though extreme weather events hit communities not 30 mins away
- Lots of lumber from felling the overgrowth to use as fence posts
- Lots of water to harvest in the spring
- Surrounded by generous farming neighbours who have a lot of knowledge around growing food
why does your lawn look like this?
Thank you for asking! We know we ruffle a few feathers not mowing our lawn and that's a good thing. To learn more about why we are re-wilding our lawn, click here.
We work hard to not care about what other people think and instead care about our collective future.
We work hard to not care about what other people think and instead care about our collective future.
fort waupoos
Waupoos is the Ojibwe word for 'rabbit.' In an attempt to keep the rabbit population away from our leafy greens, we built a low wall of maple stumps from our own brush trimmings. These stumps are inoculated with oyster mushroom spawn on the shaded part of the wall. Inside the mini fort, we are growing Black Cap raspberries, kale, daikon radishes, and asparagus.
While we were able to keep the rabbits out, we were not able to keep the slugs out sadly, so much our lettuce and cabbage was decimated. We can do better next year choosing crops that are slug resistant. I hope some of our crops make it to the finish line. It's hilarious to call them "crops" because...well...our yield is very low at this time. It will take many years for me to experiment and learn before we can feed ourselves but at least we have started. We are committed to figuring this out!
While we were able to keep the rabbits out, we were not able to keep the slugs out sadly, so much our lettuce and cabbage was decimated. We can do better next year choosing crops that are slug resistant. I hope some of our crops make it to the finish line. It's hilarious to call them "crops" because...well...our yield is very low at this time. It will take many years for me to experiment and learn before we can feed ourselves but at least we have started. We are committed to figuring this out!
hugelkultur and raised beds
To deal with the drought we work hard at conserving water. Since we had to thin out our forest, we made several lasagna garden beds of logs, branches, brush, compost, then mulch to plant our crops. German settlers called this "hugelkultur" or a hill garden bed. We are successfully growing onions, squash and rhubarb on these beds. Some challenges include erosion of the bed because of how the soil falls off of it, but I have supplemented the landscape with straw to help give it more structural integrity. There are beds throughout our land, all experiencing various rates of success. Most of them need water only 1-2 times a week.
In our raised beds we have created a water wicking system which delivers small amounts of water with very little evaporation. This works well for crops that need consistent moist soil but not for ones that need large amounts of water such as tomatoes. So far, we have yet to refill each 5 gallon water bucket and it has been more than a month since we established the system. In these beds we are growing cultivated strawberries, asparagus, beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, peppers. We are experiencing some slug destruction here so who knows which crops will make it. We can only hope.
In our raised beds we have created a water wicking system which delivers small amounts of water with very little evaporation. This works well for crops that need consistent moist soil but not for ones that need large amounts of water such as tomatoes. So far, we have yet to refill each 5 gallon water bucket and it has been more than a month since we established the system. In these beds we are growing cultivated strawberries, asparagus, beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, peppers. We are experiencing some slug destruction here so who knows which crops will make it. We can only hope.
compost
This is the most important part of our land because it is where we are caring for the soil. This is where we mix our organic waste with manure from local farms and sawdust, then cover with hay or straw depending on the season. The pile will heat naturally above 100 degrees F for two years or more to create healthy soil.
We also have vermiculture inside our kitchen where thousands of red wiggler worms work hard to eat some of our food waste to create nutrient rich castings.
We also have vermiculture inside our kitchen where thousands of red wiggler worms work hard to eat some of our food waste to create nutrient rich castings.
biochar
Biochar is a practice used by many Indigenous cultures around the world to help capture carbon and create healthy soil. Our firepit is surrounded by hugelkultur beds (currently growing onions), with two steel barrels at one end. This is where we create biochar.
We take the brush from the felled trees on our land and burn them. Instead of creating ash, we burn them using very little oxygen thanks to the funnel of the barrels. We then douse the brush with water, cover and let burn until what is left is charcoal. This charcoal is treated with worm casting tea and added to the soil. This helps our crops grow well while sequestering carbon.
You can purchase read-made biochar from our friends at Paper Kite Farms.
We take the brush from the felled trees on our land and burn them. Instead of creating ash, we burn them using very little oxygen thanks to the funnel of the barrels. We then douse the brush with water, cover and let burn until what is left is charcoal. This charcoal is treated with worm casting tea and added to the soil. This helps our crops grow well while sequestering carbon.
You can purchase read-made biochar from our friends at Paper Kite Farms.
greenhouse
Not only will our greenhouse extend our growing season, but it helps us capture hundreds of gallons of rainwater.
We have a total of 7 rain barrels on our property. 3 of them capture water off our asphalt shingle roofs and are for plants, laundry, compost water, cleaning. The other 4 capture water off a metal roofed shed and the greenhouse. This cleaner water is then purified using a Berkey system, ridding it of bacteria, viruses, parasites and sediment. It's what we use for drinking (it tastes a million times better than city water!), cooking and dishwashing. This rainwater harvesting helps keep our well full during times of drought.
Inside the greenhouse, we are currently growing tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, squash, cucumbers, and okra. Once we head into autumn, I will then plant Austrian winter peas to replenish the soil and give us greens throughout the winter. That is the plan but who knows? We can only hope.
We have a total of 7 rain barrels on our property. 3 of them capture water off our asphalt shingle roofs and are for plants, laundry, compost water, cleaning. The other 4 capture water off a metal roofed shed and the greenhouse. This cleaner water is then purified using a Berkey system, ridding it of bacteria, viruses, parasites and sediment. It's what we use for drinking (it tastes a million times better than city water!), cooking and dishwashing. This rainwater harvesting helps keep our well full during times of drought.
Inside the greenhouse, we are currently growing tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers, squash, cucumbers, and okra. Once we head into autumn, I will then plant Austrian winter peas to replenish the soil and give us greens throughout the winter. That is the plan but who knows? We can only hope.
overgrown forest
Most of our land is made up of overgrown eastern red cedar forest. This kind of tree is weedy and grows well in poor soil, which is exactly what we have.
Under the guidance of a local arborist, we have learned how to use chainsaws safely and slowly thin out this forest. Our aim is to give the strongest trees in this lot a fighting chance at surviving, while felling the sickly, thin, colourless trees and using them for various projects around the homestead.
Since we started thinning out the forest, we have noticed an increase in birdsong on our homestead, as well as a healthier understory where we have cleared. In the woodpiles we have left behind, we have had a wealth of wildlife including foxes, porcupines and deer.
Ideally, we would be mentored by someone with firsthand knowledge of how to do controlled burning. Controlled burning is a practice done by Indigenous cultures around the world, which helps build stronger healthier forests. It helps avoid wildfires which burn hotter and for longer periods of time. We hope to be in touch with someone who could guide us in the process of encouraging the area of Napanee to do the same.
Under the guidance of a local arborist, we have learned how to use chainsaws safely and slowly thin out this forest. Our aim is to give the strongest trees in this lot a fighting chance at surviving, while felling the sickly, thin, colourless trees and using them for various projects around the homestead.
Since we started thinning out the forest, we have noticed an increase in birdsong on our homestead, as well as a healthier understory where we have cleared. In the woodpiles we have left behind, we have had a wealth of wildlife including foxes, porcupines and deer.
Ideally, we would be mentored by someone with firsthand knowledge of how to do controlled burning. Controlled burning is a practice done by Indigenous cultures around the world, which helps build stronger healthier forests. It helps avoid wildfires which burn hotter and for longer periods of time. We hope to be in touch with someone who could guide us in the process of encouraging the area of Napanee to do the same.
honeybees
I am thrilled to now be a beekeeper! Since re-wilding our land, we now have a wealth of wildflowers for pollinators of all kinds to feast on. I am currently enrolled in Honey Pie Hives & Herbal's beekeeping course and I have one hive. I hope to harvest honey this fall and to keep my bees alive for years to come. We can only hope.
things we could do better
- For carbon purposes, we eat mostly vegetarian. We are working towards a more sustainable fully vegetarian diet, although it is a major lifestyle change for us. I hope to learn how to hunt so that most of the protein we consume will not been fed grain which uses acres of land to grow. I am very good at butchering and look forward to continuing this practice.
- Sadly both of our careers require us to travel often. As much as I wish I could just work from home, my job requires me to tour various locations across the continent. I hope to one day change that, but for now, we try and minimize travel where we can.
- My main challenge is starting from seed. I will try winter sowing this new years so that my seedlings will germinate better.
- I have to get better at seed saving.
- Due to my writing schedule it is challenging to commit to caring for crops once they are growing but I am getting better.
- We want to switch to a rain catchment system we can use year round. This will require a major overhaul on our home's structure, but we are committed to not abusing the aquifers in our area. At this time, we only catch rain when we are frost free.
- We would like to switch to a solar power system, which uses the grid as backup during the winter months. We currently run on grid electricity with propane heat. Thankfully we have a south facing gable. But just like a rain catchment system, it would require a major investment in equipment. We are hopeful to make this switch in the coming years.
- While I rarely buy new clothes (almost always second hand unless from a Black or Indigenous creator), and we repurpose a lot of our material, we still have a lot of waste. I hope to be less reliant on one-use plastic and paper in the year ahead.